Stamps, Howard return to Eskimos practice

Edmonton Eskimos’ Fred Stamps, left, celebrates a his touchdown with teammate Cary Koch during first half CFL action against the Hamilton Ti-Cats in Guelph, Ont., Sunday, July 7, 2013.

Photographed by:Aaron Lynett, THE CANADIAN PRESS

EDMONTON - He vowed he’d be back at practice this week and Fred Stamps stuck to his word.

The Edmonton Eskimos slotback took part in Tuesday’s practice after sitting out Saturday’s rainy 17-3 loss to the B.C. Lions.

The team’s top receiver, with nine catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns, Stamps was happy to be involved in game preparation with his teammates.

“I felt pretty good,” he said. “I’ve just got to get my balance, but I feel pretty good.”

Having missed the majority of training camp and the bulk of the first two weeks of practice this season, Stamps didn’t deny that he’s working through pain when he’s on the field. A leg injury has slowed him down, but hasn’t stopped him from performing on game days, when he’s been able to get into the game.

One man who is very happy to have Stamps back is quarterback Mike Reilly.

“Freddy, any time he’s in your lineup, that makes your offence better right away, so that’s a big help,” he said. “At the same time, you can’t just look for Freddy. If that’s the case, we’re not going to win.

“(His return) should boost our offence and it should pick up the play of the rest of us, too.”

Eskimos defensive end Marcus Howard was the other big absence on Saturday. Howard was on the field, as well, on Tuesday, but before pencilling the two star players on the roster this week, Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed wants to be cautious.

“When you’re missing two of your top playmakers as those guys are, it changes your football team,” Reed said. “Having them out there is a good thing for us as a whole. Those two bring a lot to the table and we hope that those guys will be able to practise throughout the week and be available to us.”

How Stamps’ and Howard’s bodies respond to Tuesday’s workouts will determine their fate for the rest of the week.

“It’s always the second day, it’s always how the body responds after a workout,” Reed said. “(Tuesday) was a good day for them, we got a good amount of reps on their bodies.